Step 1
Finding EU tenders on TED: searches that work
Where are EU tenders published, and how do I set up a search that finds the right ones without burying me in noise?
Guide
Preparing your tender
From the first search to the moment your tender is received: finding the right tender, knowing what it asks of you, and getting it in on time.
Guides
5
Insights
0
Last checked
12 Oct 2026
Most of the time spent on a tender goes into writing it. This section is about what comes before that: finding the tenders worth bidding for, and making sure you understand one before you commit a team to it. Start with the guide on searching TED, where every contract above the EU thresholds is advertised. The CPV codes behind those searches have their own guide, because they're the most reliable filter you have and they still miss things.
Once a notice looks right, read it field by field before you open the full documents: the guide on contract notices shows where the deadline, the lots and the award criteria sit in an eForms notice, and what is often missing. If something in the documents is unclear, the guide on clarification questions covers the one deadline you control before submission: when to ask, and when the answer must arrive. The last guide covers the submission itself: what EU law requires of the platform, electronic signatures, and why a tender that's still uploading at the deadline arrives late.
Which procedure the buyer uses and how long you have are in Procedures & timing. Whether your company may take part is in Eligibility.
Guides in reading order
Step 2
CPV codes: choosing the right ones, and their limits
Which CPV codes should my company follow, and can I rely on them to find every tender in my field?
Guide
Step 3
Reading an EU contract notice (eForms), field by field
I've found a contract notice on TED. What do its sections mean, what must it tell me, and what should I check before I read the full documents?
Guide
Step 4
Clarification questions before an EU tender deadline
The documents are unclear. When can I ask, when must the buyer answer, and what if the answer comes too late?
Guide
Step 5
Electronic submission of EU tenders: the rules
The tender has to go in through an e-procurement platform. What does EU law guarantee me, what does the platform decide, and how do I make sure my tender counts?
Guide